Duelists: The Shadows of the Cards
by Bast the bard
Summary: The times of Yugi Muto, Jaden Yuki, and Yusei Fudo have past. The next generation of duelists now train at Duel Academy, learning and preparing themselves for their lives as professional duelists. But all is not as it seems at Duel academy, and the young duelists will need all the strength their decks' possess to defeat an ancient evil. SYOC: CLOSED. TEMPLATE IN BIO
1. Prologue

Torches illuminated the dark hallway as the man ran down the hallway, leaving a trail of crimson drops of blood in the sand behind him. The man's breath wheezed raggedly in his throat and his sandals made loud clopping sounds as he pounded down the hall. His ceremonial robes billowed at behind, the golden mark of the pharaoh on his back reflecting the firelight.

The man cried out and fell to his hands and knees as the ground began to move beneath him. Dust rained from the low stone ceiling as the Earth shook, the ancient temple quaking from the force of the battle being waged outside. The man cowered in the sand until the quakes subsided, then climbed to his feet and kept running.

Sweat poured down the man's egyptian features as he turned a corner and came face to face with the entrance to the inner chamber. The door, if you could even call it that, was an enormous slab of sandstone with the mark of the pharaoh painted in the middle. The massive stone that served as a door and barricade almost liked a wall or dead-end, but the man knew better. Grimacing in pain as he did so, the man raised his right arm from beneath the folds of his robes and held up his golden DiaDhank so that it was in full view of the mark. The man hurriedly murmured an incantation, lightly pressing his DiaDhank against the mark of the pharaoh as he did so.

As the man finished the spell the mark of the pharaoh began to glow with a brilliant golden hue and the sandstone slab moved to the right with a rumble, uncovering the entrance to the inner chamber.

The man sighed with relief and ran into the chamber as the sandstone slab slid back into place behind him. The inner chamber of the temple was an enormous square room that was lit by dozens of torches and braziers that lined the walls. Hieroglyphics and paintings adorned the walls, depicting images of Egyptian life, the gods, the lineage of the pharaoh, and most of all: monsters. Three gray tablets lay in the center of the room, surrounded by a huge and complex array of circles, squares, pentagrams, hexagrams, and other shapes drawn on the smooth floor in chalk. The kingdom's high priests, gathered from every temple in all of Egypt, were bent low to the floor at various points in the array, furiously scribbling hieroglyphics in chalk. Another man stood in the center of the array, his hands on one of the tablets.

The figure wore an ornate cream and purple colored robe with the mark of the pharaoh intricately outlined in gold on the back. The figure's sandals, unlike the plain brown ones worn by the priests and the man, were painted gold and adorned with precious stones. Around the figure's head was a band of gold, and golden jewelry hung from the figure's neck and ears.

"My lord!" The man cried out, falling to his knees. The figure took his hands off the tablet and turned to face the man. He was a young man in his twenties. Black kohl painted around his eyes accentuated his noble egyptian features. Around his head was a circle of gold, with an eye of gold on his forehead.

"My lord Pharaoh, the enemy has reached the temple!" The man cried out, lifting his head to look upon his ruler. The priests all began to cry out and shout at once, their words overlapping into an unintelligible babble. The Pharaoh held up his hand and the room immediately fell silent.

"Speak," The pharaoh ordered, the intensity of his gaze sending a shiver up the man's spine.

"Our warriors and duelists have fallen," The man said, sweat and tears stinging his eyes as images of his brothers being slain filled his head. "The enemy's army is vast, their fighters demonic. Even our finest duelists were no match for theirs. The last of the royal guard is making their final stand at the temple gates. The city is being laid to waste, and the blood of your subjects has stained the sand crimson. The leader of your duelists used nearly all of his ba to summon the Mystical Beast of Serket, but even he was being overwhelmed when I was ordered to report to you."

The Pharaoh pursed his lips and the priests began to wail.

"All is lost!" One cried.

"The kingdom has fallen!" Moaned another.

"My lord, we must flee!" Said one priest. The pharaoh turned on the man, his face a mask of anger.

"As long as I live, Egypt has not fallen," The pharaoh said, causing the priests to scurry back. "Now, is the spell ready?"

"Y-y-yes, my lord," The pharaoh's high priest stammered. "It has been finished, but we will not be able to speak the incantation before the enemy reaches us if the situation is as dire as this man claims it is."

"Well then there isn't a moment to lose," The Pharaoh said. "Begin the incantation, I will go and face those foolish enough to invade my kingdom." The Pharaoh held his arm aloft and shouted words in the mystic tongue, and in a flash of gold light his Diadhank appeared on his arm. The priests turned and toom up various positions along the perimeter of the array. As one, they held their arms up and began to chant. The hieroglyphics began to shimmer with a gold light and the array itself began to crackle with magic energy.

"No my lord!" The man cried, throwing himself in front of the Pharaoh. "You mustn't go! These duelists, they use monsters that have never been seen before! Ungodly, vile creatures from the deepest depths of the shadow realm! Please, stay here. I-I-I will go and hold the enemy off myself!"

The Pharaoh smiled at the terrified man in front of him. Sweat poured down the man's face and stained his robe. The man's knees knocked together and the Diadhank trembled on his arm. A thin trickle of blood ran down the man's right leg; he was clearly on his last legs.

"No, you must be the one to stay here," The Pharaoh said, laying his hand on the man's shoulder. "Should I fall in battle, you must stay to guard these priests while they finish the spell."

"But my lord, without the power of the gods of Atem-" The man began to argue, but the look in the Pharaoh's eyes made the words die in the man's throat. The Pharaoh wasn't showing it, but an inferno of fury burned in his eyes. Despite his calm demeanor, the Pharaoh was beyond reach. His subjects were being tortured, murdered, defiled. His beautiful and mighty kingdom was being destroyed. The Pharaoh would stop at nothing to deliver judgement to the people who thought they could conquer Egypt.

"I do not need the gods of my grandfather to defend my country," The Pharaoh said, pushing past the man. "It is time these invaders saw the power of the Pharaoh." The man's hair stood on end as the Pharaoh walked past him, his body reacting from the unbelieveable amount of duel energy the Pharaoh was exuding. The man turned and watched as the Pharaoh strode towards the door. The mark on the door began to glow as the Pharaoh approached and the slab slid to the side, allowing the Pharaoh to walk out of the chamber.

' _Fight well, my Pharaoh.'_ The man thought, turning back towards the priests.

Less than a minute later, the ground began to shake again, but this time the quakes were far more powerful than they had been. The ground rocked and the stone of the temple groaned and shook. The man covered his ears with his hands as he began to hear primal roars and hisses and explosions like claps of thunder from outside. The battle went on for what seemed like an eternity, and the man began to wonder if it would ever end. As the quakes got worse the man worried that the ground would split and swallow him whole, sending down to meet the gods and demons of the underworld. All the while the priests maintained their composure, chanting as one even as the battle outside continued. The array glowed brighter as the priests went on, to the point that it hurt the man's eyes to look directly at it.

The man cried out as the ground shook harder than it ever had, sending the man flying to the floor as dust and rocks fell from the ceiling. The stone walls and ceiling cracked with the force, but the floor and array remained intact. And then, as suddenly as the quake began, it stopped.

The man slowly lifted his head from the floor, spitting sand and dust from his mouth. The ground was still, and the only sounds were the priests chant. Whatever had happened, one thing was certain: the battle had ended.

The man slowly got to his feet, dusting himself off as the priests behind him seemed to reach the final stage of their ritual. Their voices reached a crescendo and the light began to glow even brighter than it had been. Blue bolts of magic lightning arced out from the array, striking the tablets slowly at first, then faster and faster.

The man watched as the stone tablet themselves began to glow with a blue and gold light. The priests lifted their arms higher and the tablets slowly lifted off the floor. The man tasted copper as the amount of energy in the room increased further as a jagged line of gold light appeared above the tablets. The tablets floated higher as the line began to separate into two and move away from each other, creating a rip in the fabric of space.

Suddenly, the man was thrown off his feet as an explosion behind him destroyed the sandstone slab of the doorway. Hooded figures wearing black cloaks poured into the room, fanning out around the man and the priests. Strange swords hung at the hips of each figure, and around their arms were even stranger devices. They were obviously Diadhanks, but unlike the gold winged designs of Egypt, these were straight, unadorned, and made from a strange black metal.

If the priests noticed the intruders they made no sign of it and continued to finish the incantation. Suddenly, the figures in the doorway stepped aside to create a path for a newcomer.

Unlike the black cloaks of the others, this man wore a pure white robe. His hood was down, but a plain white mask hid his face from view. The mask was completely blank, the only features being two eyeholes and a thin rectangle for a mouth. Fastened to the man's arm was another black Diadhank just like those worn by his followers.

Wordlessly, the masked man raised his hand and the hooded figures all raised their Diadhanks at once.

The man jerked and raised his Diadhank, his lips moving and forming the words as fast as they could.

"Come to my aid!" The man chanted as the hooded figures began to mutter their own summons. "Now in my time of need, guard from all attack! Save me and the people of Egypt from harm! The divine bulwark! Defender of the Pharaoh! Come forth, The Millennium Shield!"

The man gasped and fell to his knees as all of his ba was ripped from his body. The man had never attempted such a high level summons before, and he wasn't sure if it would work. But, miraculously, the shield appeared in a brilliant flash of gold light. The shield was vaguely kite shaped, crafted from gold and a strange red metal. Three diamonds were inlaid on the front of it, as well as the mark of the pharaoh.

The shield descended and hovered in front of its master as the hooded figures finished their own summons. Dozens of creatures materialized in front of the figures who summoned them, but their shapes and forms were hidden by individual clouds of black mist. The figures raised their hands towards the man, and black bolts of lightning erupted from the black mists and arced towards the man, only to be deflected away by the shield.

Suddenly, there was a huge flash of blue light behind the man. The attacks stopped momentarily as the figures gawked at whatever was behind the man. The man turned and saw that the tablets were each cracking and breaking apart. Blue cracks of magic appeared on each tablet and ripped of chunks the size of a fit off of each tablet. The chunks were then sucked into the rip in space and vanished.

The masked man grunted loudly, drawing all attention back to him. Frantically, he pointed away from the man and pointed towards the priests. As one, the hooded figures began to redirect the attacks towards the priests.

The man screamed as one of the priests was struck down by the attacks, the progress of the ritual visibly slowing without the magic he had provided.

"Defend the priests!" The man screamed at the shield as another priest fell. The shield instantly moved away from the man and hovered in front of the priests, defending them as more and more chunks of the tablets broke off and flew into the void.

The man heard footsteps behind him and turned just in time to see the masked man drive his sword into the man's stomach. The man screamed and clutched the blade as the masked figure ran him through, the point of the sword emerging from the man's back and piercing the floor.

Blood gushed from the wound as the masked man twisted the sword and ripped out out, eliciting another scream of pain from the man. An intense feeling of cold settled on the man as blood poured from the hole in his gut. The sounds of the ritual and combat suddenly sounded miles away, and darkness began to eat away at the edges of the man's vision. The man gurgled softly and lifted his head, watching as the ritual finally began to end. Only one of the tablets remained, and it was rapidly breaking down and being sucked into the rift.

As the man's life force leaked away as he died, the shield began to crack and fade under the intensity of the attacks. The man grinned at the shield, silently thanking it as his soul slipped away. Without the power of its master to anchor it to the material plain, the shield vanished.

Within seconds the rest of the priests were killed, a barrage of black bolts of lightning killing them where they stood. The masked man stepped over the body of the nameless defender and strode into the smoke. Walking around the corpses of the priests, he examined the array and what was left of the tablet.

The shard that was left was hardly bigger than the Diadhank the masked man wore on his arm, the rest of the tablet and its two brothers lost into the void. The masked man growled and clenched his fists in anger. Kicking the bodies of the priests as he went by, the masked man strode out of the chamber, his followers trailing behind him.

Four other white-robed figures waited in the devastation outside the temple, standing together as the masked man and his soldiers emerged from the depths. They wore the exact same robes as the masked man, but their hoods were drawn to hide their faces.

"Well?" One of the figures said. "Did you retrieve the tablets?" The masked man growled and shook his head, gesturing to one of the black robed figures behind him. The figure jogged forward and handed the masked man the shard of the tablet that he was able to secure and backed away.

The white-robed figures all began to curse and groan, crowding around the shard.

"This is all that remains?" One asked. "Damn these Egyptians!"

"The teleportation spell they used was a powerful one if it took them that long to complete it," Said a second. "It may take hundreds, maybe even thousands of years to gather each piece of the tablets."

"This is all your fault!" The third roared, rounding on the fourth. "You should have beaten that sad excuse for a Pharaoh quicker, then we may have gotten to the ritual in time!"

"Shut up, none of us expected him to be able to summon the Five Headed Dragon on his own," The fourth argued. "He certainly wasn't as powerful as his ancestors without the aid of the gods or the millennium items, but he was still a worthy foe." The third figure scoffed and strode away from the group.

"Well, what do we do know?" The first figure said, eyeing the devastation their conquest had caused casually.

"Now, we begin the search," Said the second figure. "Mark my words my friends, we shall have the tablets of the Egyptian gods one day. Then the work of our master will finally be complete."

 **Hey there! Thanks to everyone who read this, I hope you liked it. I've wanted to write a Yugioh fic for awhile now, so I hope it turns out okay. Now this is a SYOC story, so please feel free to submit your own ideas to me! I'll be taking about 20 submissions to start, but I will reopen submissions every once and awhile as the story progresses. The template is in my bio, so please head there if you're interested. If you liked the prologue of this story and want to see more, then please let me know by following, favoriting, or leaving a review for this story. Thanks again, and I'll see you all on the flipside.**


	2. Arrival

Braden Furifuto hated boats, which was strange because he liked everything associated with boats.

He liked the ocean and found its rolling waves relaxing, but he hated the constant bobbing of boats. His father liked to joke about Braden "always leaving his sealegs at home", but Braden found it hard to laugh when he was constantly dizzily walking into things in a state of motion-sickness.

He liked fish and the smell usually didn't bother him, but the briny rank always seemed to cover every surface of boats. That mixed with the putrid tang of his own vomit made for a sickening 1-2 punch to his nostrils, and he never failed to look like a fish as he was forced to breath with his mouth open to avoid the scent.

Braden knew that he would never win any awards for cleanest or most organized, but he wasn't a germaphobe either. But for whatever reason he always found boats intolerably disgusting. No matter how obviously well maintained boats can be, Braden always found something wrinkle his nose at. A cluster of barnacles on the the hull, a murky film on the windows, discolored streaks, dust bunnies, etc. Things that Braden would never have batted an eye at on land were unforgivable to him at sea.

Yes, it was no secret that Braden despised boats and would spend his time on them counting down the seconds until he could crawl back onto land, but at least today there was a silver lining. Braden smiled weakly and rubbed a stray spot of vomit from the corner of his mouth as he gazed longingly over the horizon.

' _Somewhere out there...is duel academy!'_ Braden thought, a rush of exhilaration running up and down his body. If it wasn't for the fact that he could barely stand, Braden undoubtedly would have been running up and down the deck with a massive grin on his face, smiling and hugging his fellow students-to-be.

Ever since he was old enough to hold a duel disk on his arm, Braden had loved to duel. Braden had spent countless hours with his cards: dueling them, organizing them, looking at them, and when no one was around, talking to them. Dueling was what made Braden happiest, and he never missed an opportunity to let people know. Whenever the topic of conversation turned to Duel Monsters Braden would light up like a christmas tree, which never failed to make his mother roll her eyes and chuckle, "must run in the family".

Braden had been dueling ever since he could hold a duel disk, but the person to put that disk on Braden's little arm in the first place had been his father. Like his son, Braden's father also had a deep love for Duel Monsters.

When Braden was a kid he would sit at his father's feet for hours, listening in complete awe as his father recounted stories from his own time in the amateur duel circuit. Bitter rivalries, epic duels, lifelong friends, rubbing elbows with the pros: Braden would listen to it all with rapt attention. Even though the closest his father ever got to going pro was participating in the preliminary rounds of a few tournaments, to Braden his father was just as much a dueling icon as Yugi Muto.

Braden owed his father everything. His love of Duel Monsters had came from his father, as had the skill and knowledge that had gotten him into Duel Academy in the first place. Braden still remembered the day his father had come home to see Braden sniffling in the corner, crying because he couldn't go to school just for dueling. Braden remembered seeing his father smile down at him, a twinkle in his eye as he wiped the tears away and said:

" _Oh do I have some news for you,"_

Since that day, Braden had dedicated himself completely to going to a duel school. He already knew that he wanted to become a professional duelist, but going to a school that was specifically built to teach the next generation of pros was almost too good to be true. He knew that he had to go. But, Braden wouldn't settle for any old duel school; there was only one place for him.

The school off the southern coast of Japan. The island institution built by one of the greatest duelists of all time. The man who had only ever been defeated by the King of Games.

Seto Kaiba's Duel Academy.

Braden had worked tirelessly to achieve his goal of getting into Duel Academy. He had studied until his grades were nearly perfect. He had dueled until he knew every combo in his deck inside and out. He memorized the requirements to get in. Then he memorized them again. He beat every kid in his neighborhood as practice. Then every kid in his town. Then everyone with a deck in his town. Everyone knew his name, and they all knew that Braden was going to be the first from their town to beat Duel Academy's nearly impossible admissions exam and go to Duel Academy.

Braden enjoyed the attention and the support, but he still wasn't satisfied. There was one person in his town that he couldn't beat, and he knew that unless he could beat him he'd never get into Duel Academy.

Braden's final obstacle on the road to Duel Academy was his own father.

His father loved Braden, but he also respected him as a fellow duelist and as such he gave it his all when he dueled his son. Braden dueled his father countless times, but his father never pulled any punches. Braden tried every combo, every strategy, every play he could think of, but his father beat them all. The losses hurt, but they also encouraged Braden to keep trying. And slowly but surely, Braden got closer. It was slow going, but Braden gradually closed the gap between him and his father. First it was a 2000 LP gap. Then 1500. Then 1000. Then 800. And on and on until finally, one week before his exam, he beat his father.

Braden could hardly believe his eyes when his father's life points finally reached 0, his father laughing the whole time and congratulating his son. At that moment Braden felt like the greatest duelist in the world. He had beaten _his father_ , he was unstoppable!

Or so he thought.

Braden aced the written portion of the exam, years of studying paying off in spades as questions fell like dominoes before the onslaught of hs intellect. When he stepped into the duel arena for the practical portion he felt like he could take on the world, or even the King of Games himself. He had just beaten his father, who was (basically) a pro duelist! He could beat anyone!

Braden didn't feel so confident when his opponent summoned an Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon on his first turn.

Braden dueled for his life, putting his heart and soul into every draw. It was by far the most difficult duel he had ever been in. Braden was blown away by the power of his opponent and the deck he used, it was by far more potent than even the deck his father wielded. It took all of Braden's skill just to stay in the duel, let alone go on the offensive.

By all rights Braden should have lost the duel. The proctor pushed him around the entire time, completely schooling the young duelist. But then, with 100 LP left and no options left, his opponent made a mistake. It was such a small mistake that it could have been considered nothing more than a fluke, but Braden capitalized on it and managed to save the duel.

His opponent used a dark hole, which wiped out Braden's defenses and should have left him completely defenseless. Except that, in his haste to end the already lengthy duel, his proctor had made one critical mistake. By wiping Braden's field of monsters, he had given Braden everything he needed to win in the form of 4 counters onto his kickfire trap card, a trap that had sat on Braden's field since the first draw.

Braden ended the duel in one fell swoop, dealing 4000 points of direct damage as his proctor swore and raged at himself for forgetting the trap card.

Braden chuckled to himself as he recalled the look of disgust on his proctor's face as he grudgingly congratulated Braden on his victory. Braden received his acceptance letter into Duel Academy a few days later. The looks of joy and pride on his parents faces as he read the letter aloud to them were almost better than the letter itself, and Braden knew that-

"Um, excuse me?" Braden was jarred out of his memories by a soft female voice and a tap on his shoulder. Braden turned to see a short girl looking down at him with concern.

She had thick black hair that was tied up in a high ponytail. She wore a cream colored hoodie and American-style jeans. A pastel purple bracelet on her wrist stood out against her dark skin. Her face was lightly dusted with freckles, and her tired coffee brown eyes were filled with concern...but also just a tiny bit of laughter at Braden's condition.

"Hi," Braden said, concentrating on not throwing up all over the girl's shoes. The girl, seeing Braden's condition, took a small step back and rummaged into her hoodie pockets. A few moments later she pulled out a small white bottle.

"You're not feeling very well, are you?" The girl asked. Braden nodded, not trusting himself to open his mouth. The girl unscrewed the top of the bottle and shook a few pills into her hand before holding them out to Braden.

"Take these, they should help settle your stomach," The girl said. Braden practically lunged at the girl in his haste to get the pills, popping them into his mouth and swallowing them with a gulp. Within seconds Braden could feel his stomach begin to calm down, the bile lowering in his throat and returning to its rightful place. Braden sighed with relief and leaned against the guardrail blissfully.

"Thank you so much," Braden said, beaming at the girl. "You're a lifesaver."

"You're welcome," The girl yawned. "Happy to help." Feeling exponentially better now, Braden let go of the guardrail and stuck his hand out, offering the girl a huge grin.

"I'm Braden Furifuto, what's your name?" The girl returned Braden's grin with a small smile of her own and clasped Braden's hand.

"I'm Feliciana Adesso, but you can just call me Feli."

"Well it's really nice to meet you Feli." With a nod and a yawn, Feli turned and made her way towards the door that led into the ship. Braden watched her go, a little disappointed that the only person he had been able to talk to was leaving so soon. He sighed and turned to watch the horizon again.

"Well, you coming?" Braden jerked up in surprise and whirled around. Feli stood at the door, holding it open and looking at Braden expectantly. "Come on inside, I think you've gotten enough fresh air for now. Unless you feel like throwing up again…"

"No, I'm coming!" Braden said, nodding vigorously and striding towards the door. He was over the moon and he practically skipped past Feli as he went into the ship.

' _I haven't even gotten to Duel Academy yet, and I've already made a friend!'_ Braden thought, ecstatic.

As he crossed the threshold and stepped into the main seating deck of the ship Braden was hit by a sensory tsunami of sights, smells, and sounds. All around him were teens who, just like him, were on their way to start their new lives at Duel Academy. Some sat in pairs or groups, talking and laughing. Other sat at tables, trading cards and dueling. There were a few people who sat or stood alone, but they were few and far between. For the first time in his life Braden couldn't smell the briny smell of the ship, for it was being completely overpowered by the mixed aromas of his fellow duelists and, most of all, cards.

No one kid was the same. Duel Academy had accepted talented teens from all walks of life, and the room was a melting pot of ethnicities, clothes, and sizes. But, for all of their differences, Braden could see one characteristic that everyone, including himself, shared. Every single person in the room was smiling. And how could they not be? They were headed to _Duel Academy_!

"So, are you planning on standing there all day or are you going to let me in?" Feli asked from the doorway.

"Oh, my bad," Braden apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and stepping aside to let her in. The pair stood side by side for a moment, wordlessly taking in the scene before them.

"Well," Feli said, breaking the silence. "No point standing here all day, let's go mingle a little."

"Sounds good to me," Braden replied. As the two stepped forward the intercom crackled to life. The noise died down immediately as the captain cleared his voice with a burst of staticy feedback.

"Attention Duelists," The captain began. "We are making our approach to Duel Academy now. Please start to gather your belongings and make your way to the portside exit."

Everyone looked at each other, shaking their heads and shrugging. There was a burst of feedback as the captain sighed.

"The _left_ side exit," The captain restated. The room immediately filled with activity as the assembled teens began to gather theirs bags, decks, and dueling aparati.

"Come on, my stuff is right over here," Braden said, motioning for Feli to follow him. Without waiting for a response, Braden set off for his bags, pushing his way through the throng of excited teens. Feli's eyes darted towards a set of purple bags across the room and she opened her mouth to say something, as the path towards her stuff was clear, but she closed it with a sigh as she realized that her rather headstrong companion was already gone.

"I liked you better when you were sick as a dog…" Feli muttered as she set off towards Braden. The duo pushed and shoved their way through the crowd, gradually making their way closer to a royal blue duffel bag and a royal blue backpack. It was slow going as the two were tossed back and forth like rowboats in the swirling sea that was their classmates, but eventually they managed to reach Braden's bags.

"Whew!" Braden exclaimed as him and Feli finally squeezed past the last teen. "I can't believe we made it in one piece."

"You can say that again," Feli agreed, fixing her ponytail that had come undone in the fray. As she did so, Braden reached down and slung his backpack over his shoulders and grabbed his duffel bag.

"Alright, let's go get your stuf-" He began to say, before someone exclaimed.

"Look, there it is!" Braden and Feli turned towards the source of the noise and were nearly swept away as the other teens suddenly surged forward and pressed themselves against the windows. Feli briefly caught a glimpse of a volcano on the horizon before the view out the windows was completely blocked by the other kids.

Feli swore quietly and looked around for any openings in the line of students, but to no avail. Seeing no other option, Feli stepped onto one of the seats and used it to see over the heads of her taller classmates.

The girl gasped as she took in the scene laid out before her.

Out across the sparkling ocean was Duel Academy, and it was even more beautiful than she had imagined it would be. The island rose from the sea, with high cliffs leading up to a dense and lush forest. Waterfalls cascaded from the rocky cliffs, glittering as they crashed into the sea. A volcano rose up from the center of the island as testament to the island's fiery origins. And at the summit of the volcano was the crown jewel, the reason they were all there. In the shadow of the volcano...was Duel Academy.

Obelisks of some yellow stone were situated around the perimeter of the main building. The main building, the pride of the school, was the massive and white domed duel center. Home to the classrooms, state-of-the-art duel arenas, and the brand new turbo duel track, the main building of Duel Academy almost seemed to glow in the tropical sunlight. Attached to the main building were three other, much smaller yet similarly designed buildings. One had a blue roof, one had a yellow roof, and one had a red roof.

"It's beautiful…" Feli whispered, voicing what everyone else was thinking. Feli was broken out of her rapture by a sudden tug at the hem of her sweatshirt. Painfully, Feli tore her eyes away from Duel Academy to see Braden looking up at her. In his hands were both of Feli's purple bags. Feli's eyes widened with surprise as Braden grinned up at her.

"I grabbed your bags for you," Braden announced, setting them down next to his. Feli looked at her bags, then at Braden, then back at her bags.

"You got my bags for me?" Feli asked, incredulous. "But don't you want to see Duel Academy? I mean, it's right there!" Braden glanced over at the throng and shrugged.

"Eh, it's alright," He said. "I've already seen Duel Academy more times than I can count in pictures, so I think I have a pretty good idea of what it looks like. Besides, you helped me feel better and helped me get my bags, so I was just returning the favor. Isn't that what friends are for?"

"Wow…" Feli said, looking at the grinning boy below her in a new light.

' _Friends…'_

"Hang on...how did you know which bags were mine?" Feli asked. Braden laughed and pointed at the bralet on her wrist.

"The bags matched your bracelet, so I just assumed they must be yours." Feli didn't make a sound for a moment, then covered her hand with her mouth as she began to laugh. Before she could formulate a proper reply, the ship lurched and began to decelerate, nearly throwing Feli off the seat.

Braden helped his friend down as the intercom buzzed to life again.

"Attention students, we are now beginning to dock with Duel Academy. I hope you all enjoyed your trip, and good luck!"

The crowd cheered as the ship lurched again and came to a stop. Braden and Feli grabbed their bags and went with the flow of students. The crowd poured out of the ship and practically stampeded down the gangplank in their collective haste to get ashore.

Braden was nearly swept off his feet several times as he was pushed and shoved off the ship, but he didn't care. He was grinning so hard that it hurt, and his head and eyes swiveled like an owl's as he took in every detail of his surroundings.

He had made it. He was at Duel Academy.

Braden was jerked out of his dream-like bliss as he walked straight into the teen in front of him. Rubbing his sore nose and stepping back, Braden peered over his classmates shoulders to see what the hold up was.

In front of the crowd stood a tall, beautiful woman. She had long dark blue hair that cascaded down her back like the waterfalls of the island. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, without a wrinkle, freckle, or blemish to be seen. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, her piercing ruby eyes gazing out at the teens, a small smile tugging at her lips. She wore a crimson suit with a high collar, a mustard shirt and brown tie on beneath it.

Suddenly, she spread her arms wide and grinned at the assembled teens.

"Hello!" She announced. "My name is Chancellor Yang...welcome, to DUEL ACADEMY!"

 **Hey guys! First, I'd like to thank everyone who submitted a character, they were all amazing. While I couldn't possibly fit all of them into a single chapter, rest assured they will all be making their individual debuts very soon. A complete list of characters and their respective owners can be found in my bio, so check them out if you're curious. One thing I like to do with my stories is respond to any/all reviews I get, so I'll do that now.**

 **Guest: Sorry, this is story is somewhat in a weird place because while it is set a the original Duel Academy, it's in the future so it doesn't at all pertain to the original GX plot. I'm sorry that you didn't like the prologue, but I know that stories like mine aren't for everyone. Maybe someday in the future when the plot is more developed you'll change your mind.**

 **Anyway, thank you all who read this chapter. You guys are all great, and you're my inspiration for writing. If you like this story and want to see more of it, let me know by following and/or favoriting! If you have any thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, or praise then please let me know by giving a review or sending me a PM. Thank you all again, see you all on the flipside.**


	3. Not Your Typical Orientation

Silence hung in the air as the body of students stared at their new Chancellor, completely unsure of what to do. There were a few muffled coughs and sniffs, but aside from those small background noises the crowd was silent. Chancellor Yang's ruby eyes swept over the crowd slowly, her huge grin seemingly frozen on her face as she held her pose. Slowly, she lowered her arms to her sides and coughed into her hand nervously.

"Heh, that usually gets the rookies going…" She muttered, her smile shrinking. "Oh well, you must all be the strong but silent type. Nothing wrong with that, even if it is a little strange amongst us duelists."

"Is this supposed to be our opening ceremony?" Braden whispered to the kid next to him, earning him a chorus of reproachful shushes from the students in the immediate vicinity in response.

"No matter, it just means I have to change my game plan a little bit," Chancellor Yang said, flashing us another, albeit more subdued, smile. She spread her feet shoulder width apart and clasped her hands behind her back. "Let's start over from the top. For starters, I'd like to congratulate and welcome each and every one of you to Seto Kaiba's Duel Academy. My name is Yukiza Yang, and I'm the Chancellor of this fine institution. You all are here because you are the best and the brightest duelists that the world has to offer, and you believe that this institution can help you become the next generation of Duel Kings and Queens. You've all worked hard to get here, and admission to this amazing establishment is an achievement that you should all be proud of. Here at Duel Academy you'll forge new friendships, meet new rivals, and learn how to become world class duelists. It won't be easy; the path to Duel Monsters fame is fraught with challenges and obstacles, but I know that you all will persevere and leave this academy stronger than you were before."

Chancellor Yang suddenly stode forward, cutting the distance between us and her in half. She began to walk back and forth in front of us, almost like an officer inspecting a line of recruits.

"Each of you has been assigned a color and dorm that will serve as your rank at Duel Academy," She said, pacing back and forth. "Some of you will start at the top of the food chain and wear Obelisk Blue, but will you be able to defend your station and still find room to grow? Others will start at the bottom as Slifer Reds, but will you rise to the occasion and fight your way to the top? And as for you Ra Yellows, will you settle as eternal runner ups, fall to the lower ranks, or make the leap up? No matter what colors you may wear today, you must always be on guard as you can wear another color just as easily tomorrow. But my new students, no matter what rank you bear, you must always take pride in the colors on your coats and the cards in your decks."

She suddenly stopped pacing and turned so that she fully faced us once again.

"I'll leave you all with this," Chancellor Yang said, smiling once more. "Study hard. Duel harder. Aim for the top, and in the words of the King of Games: always have faith in the heart of the cards."

Braden couldn't help but smile at the Chancellor's words, his fingers brushing against the holster at his waist as the the words his father had said many times before echoed in his ears.

"Now, I'll leave you all to the dorm representatives so you can all get settled in," Chancellor Yang said, turning to go. As she was began to walk away she stopped suddenly.

"Ah wait, I forgot one thing…" Chancellor Yang said, turning back around and walking towards the crowd again. She had a predatory look in her eyes, and she smiled almost hungrily at assembled students. "The captain of the ship that brought you here informed me that some of you saw fit to bring your own duel disks to Duel Academy…"

Chancellor Yang's eyes narrowed dangerously at the pack of students, who all began to mutter amongst themselves and refused to meet the Chancellor's eyes. A boy next to Braden gulped loudly and shifted his bag so that it was hidden behind his back.

"I presume that the captain was mistaken...?" The Chancellor said. "I know none of you brought your own duel disks here, because we explicitly stated in your packets of acceptance that you would be provided with a school regulated duel disk and that bringing your own was forbidden. None of you would be dumb enough to break that rule on the first day, right?"

The dock was completely silent as Chancellor Yang stared us down, a dangerous smile on her face. No one moved or spoke as Chancellor Yang's eyes swept over us. Braden stiffened as the Chancellor's eyes met his own and he resisted the urge to look away guiltily, even though he hadn't even brought his duel disk with him.

"I'll take your silence and half-hidden guilty looks as a confession, then," Chancellor Yang said. She paused for a moment, awaiting a response. She grunted when the silence persisted, somewhat disappointed.

"I wonder...what should I do with you all?" Chancellor Yang mused, tapping her finger against her chin. "Contraband is usually grounds for expulsion...maybe I'll just expel you all right here and now?"

Braden felt his heart drop and his throat tighten. He couldn't be expelled now before his first class! And not because a few rebels decided to bring their own gear! The rest of his fellow freshman felt the same way, because there was a chorus of no's and other exclamations of dissent at the Chancellor's words.

"I suppose you're right, it is a bit much to expel an entire class on their first day…" Chancellor Yang conceded. "Maybe I'll just confiscate your decks until further notice…" There was an even louder roar of disagreement this time, one that Braden saw fit to join. Separated from their decks? Out of the question.

"Oh!" Chancellor Yang exclaimed. "I know exactly what to do!" The Chancellor grabbed the collar of her crimson suit and, with a flourish, ripped it off. The students gasped at what was hidden beneath the Chancellor's suit. Attached to her left arm was a long, rectangular piece of black metal that gleamed in the sun. Several rectangular holsters were attached to her sides by a series of black leather strips that ran across her chest and back. With a devilish grin. she ripped open one of the holsters and drew a deck from it.

Almost as if it had sensed her intentions, the piece of metal on her arm suddenly whired to life, immediately doubling in length and width, three deck-sized slots springing up on the end of the device near her elbow. The reality of the situation hit Braden as the Chancellor raised the deck in her hand high above her head.

' _That thing on her arm...is a duel disk…'_ Braden thought as Chancellor Yang slammed the deck into the slot on her strange yet somehow beautiful duel disk.

"Here's what we'll do," Chancellor Yang said, her ruby eyes gleaming. "If any of you are brave enough to face me, we'll duel for your duel disks. If I win, then they all get sent back to the mainland and you'll all be banned from the card shop for a month. But, if by some miracle one of you wins, then you'll all be allowed to keep your duel disks here and you'll each receive a 3 pack voucher for the card shop."

"This is insane," Braden whispered, shocked by the sudden turn of events. "Is this normal?"

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"Check it out, Chancellor Yang is doing her dueling bit again."

Far above the dock where Chancellor Yang was squaring off with the new batch of freshman, utop the highest battlements of Duel Academy resided three figures. The one who had spoken was a boy who sat with his legs hanging over the side of the wall. He had flat black hair that was styled towards the left, and a pair of binoculars were pressed against his eyes. He had a huge happy-go-lucky grin on his face as he watched Chancellor Yang challenge the freshmen to a duel. He wore the blue high-collared suit of the Obelisk dorm.

"Oh man, those poor kids have no idea what they're in for," He said with a laugh. "I wish I could go down there and give them some pointers."

"You could always just throw yourself off the side Brandon, then you may be able to make it in time," A flat female voice chimed in.

"Ha ha, very funny Syd," Brandon replied, lowering the binoculars and throwing a look over his shoulder. A beautiful girl with platinum blonde hair leaned against the wall behind Brandon, looking at him coolly. Unlike the normal sleeveless blouse and short blue skirt that the other female Obelisks typically wore, She wore the same style suit as Brandon, only hers was mostly white with a blue accent whereas his was blue with a white accent. Her piercing purple eyes were almost completely devoid of emotion as she strode forward and wordlessly gestured for the binoculars. Brandon grinned and passed the binoculars to Syd, who pressed them against her eyes.

"I just don't see why she has to do this every year," Syd mused, gazing down on the scene. "Can't she think of some other way to initiate the rookies?"

"Why should she?" Brandon replied with a laugh. "We are at Duel Academy after all,"

"Perhaps…" Syd admitted. "But it just seems a little too...relaxed for my taste."

"Come on, lighten up Syd!" Brandon said. "It's fun, it's exciting, and it's a great way to show the arrogant new recruits how outclassed they all really are. What could be better?!" Syd harrumphed and lowered the binoculars.

"Hey what about you, Yuro? You want to watch the duel?" Brandon asked, turning to face the last figure. The boy sat on the other side of the walkway, looking up at the sky with a bored and faraway look in his slate colored eyes. He had wild silver hair that seemed to defy the laws of physics with its outlandish styling. He too wore an Obelisk blue suit.

"Not really," Yuro answered without taking his eyes off the sky. Brandon chuckled and shook his head.

"Classic Yuro, always too cool for school," Brandon said, turning back around to face the dock. "But I can't say I really blame you. After all,the odds of anyone beating the Chancellor on the first day like you did are slim to none, and-"

"And slim just left town," Syd cut in, finishing Brandon's sentence for him.

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"So…?" Chancellor Yang said, interrupting the excited murmuring of the crowd. "Are any of you brave enough to face me?"

Braden, like the rest of the assembled students, looked all around him. No one seemed to be leaping at the opportunity to duel the Chancellor. Chancellor Yang tossed her blue hair back over her shoulder and eyed the crowd.

"No one?" She said. She waited a few more moments, but when no one stepped forward she shrugged. "Alright then, I guess that means-"

Suddenly, a hearty laugh erupted from the back of the crowd. Chancellor Yang eyes darted to the back of the crowd and like a school of fish, the students turned and craned their necks to see the source of the laugh. The laughing, a deep and rumbling sound, continued as the students in front of Braden began to move backwards, clearing a path for someone to walk through. Elbowing his way forward, Braden had time to see a flash of red and white before his view was once again blocked by the throng.

Chancellor Yang grinned when she saw the person who was mirthfully making their way to the front of the crowd.

"And who might you be?" Chancellor Yang asked, addressing the person who had finally pushed their way to the front.

The boy grinned as he faced Chancellor Yang. He was tall, easily over 6 feet and muscular. His smile was immaculate, as was his short blond hair. He wore a long white coat with a blood red cross sewn onto the back-something that seemed like it would be better suited on a knight-silver pants and white boots. On his left arm was a snow-white generation two duel disk with a red broadsword pattern. The boy clapped his fist over his heart and bowed to the Chancellor, bending nearly 90 degrees at the waist.

"Greetings, Chancellor Yang!" The boy said, straightening up. "My name is Tiberius Vult, and I accept your challenge!" Chancellor covered her hand with her mouth as she sized up her opponent, trying and failing to muffle her laughter.

"Hello there, Mr. Vult," Chancellor Yang said, composing herself again. "That's quite an outfit you have there...and quite the duel disk as well…"

"Indeed!" Tiberius replied, hefting his duel disk. "This is the traditional garb of my fellow templars, and this is my mighty blade! I simply couldn't bear to part with it when I was accepted into Duel Academy, so I hope you'll uphold your end of our agreement after I defeat you."

"After _you_ defeat _me_?" The Chancellor repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You think you'll beat me?" Tiberius threw his head back and laughed.

"Of course!" He declared. "My cause is just and my deck is true, I cannot possibly be defeated!"

"You seem pretty gung-ho now," Chancellor Yang said, smiling slyly. "But if you're so confident, how come it took you so long to accept my challenge?"

"Oh, that," Tiberius muttered, his voice loysing some of it's manly bass as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "My er-... my duel disk got snagged on my coat…"

Tiberius grew as red as the cross on his coat as the front line of students began to snigger and chuckle under their breaths and he seemed to shrink into his coat. Chancellor Yang laughed and raised her duel disk.

"Well, I can't think of any better way to start a duel than that!" She declared. Tiberius shook his head and raised his head to meet the gaze of his opponent.

"You laugh now, but you won't find it funny when the power of the light smites you, infidel!"

"Let's Duel!" Chancellor Yang yelled, grinning.

"Deus Vult!" Tiberius roared back, laying a hand on his deck.

 **-DUEL-**

 **Tiberius Vult - 4000 LP**

 **Chancellor Yukiza Yang - 4000 LP**

 **-DUEL-**

The crowd of students pressed forward and spread out around the pair of duelists as the duel got underway, giving Braden enough room to push his way to the front. He could feel himself grinning as the two duelists squared off, the air thick with tension and excitement. To Braden, there was nothing better than a good duel.

"The challenged gets the first move!" Tiberius declared, drawing a card and adding it to his hand.

 **Turn one: Tiberius Vult**

"First, I'll summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk in attack mode!" The pseudo-templar slapped the card onto his duel disk, and in a flash of light his monster appeared. Clad in an ornate breastplate made from gold and white metal, a red battle-skirt and white boots, Tiberius's monster twirled the baton in her hand expertly before taking up an offensive stance.

Ehren, Lightsworn Monk - (Light/Warrior)

LV 4

(1600/1000)

Chancellor Yang raised an eyebrow at the sight of the familiar monster.

"So, you use the Lightsworn," She remarked, earning a vigorous nod from her opponent.

"Indeed!" Tiberius replied. "Just as I am bound to the light of the Lord, so too are my monsters! With Ehren on my field I'll end my turn, but not before activating her special ability which allows me to send the top 3 cards of my deck to the graveyard."

Tiberius drew the top three cards from his deck and eyed them briefly, and whatever he saw caused him to grin madly before sending them to the graveyard.

"Now, I activate the effect of the card my Ehren just sent to the graveyard...Twilight Eraser! When this special trap card is sent to the graveyard by the effect of a Lightsworn monster, I am allowed to special summon a Lightsworn monster from my hand! And I'm going to summon...Wulf, Lightsworn Beast!"

Tiberius's second monster appeared with a roar, the armored bipedal wolf-creature snarling and slashing the air in front of it with a golden battleaxe.

Wulf, Lightsworn Beast - (Light/Beast-Warrior)

LV 4

(2100/300)

Braden couldn't help but be impressed at the level of skill Tiberius was displaying. He may have looked and acted strangely, but it didn't at all effect his dueling.

' _If he keeps this up he may actually be able to win this_ ,' Braden thought, starting to root for his muscular classmate.

"Alright, my move!" Chancellor Yang said, grasping the top card of her deck. "I draw!"

 **Turn 2: Chancellor Yukiza Yang**

"First, I'm going to summon my Suanni, Fire of the Yang Zing in attack mode!" The Chancellor declared, throwing the monster onto her duel disk. Braden gasped as the monster began to take shape on the field, and it seemed that his classmates-Tiberius included-were just as shocked as he was.

' _A Yang Zing monster?!_ ' Braden thought in disbelief. _'That archetype is one of the rarest there is!'_

With a roar to rival that of Tiberius's Wulf, Suanni took the field. Styled like an ancient chinese monster, Suani had the head and mane of a lion, but the scaly body of a dragon. The beast snarled and smoke dripped from it's fangs as its red scales glittered in the sun.

Suanni, Fire of Yang Zing - (Fire/Wyrm)

LV 4

(1900/0)

"Now go Suanni! Destroy Ehren with your ancient smoldering breath!" The Chancellor ordered. With an angry shake of its head, the wyrm released a red jet of fire towards Ehren. The female warrior crossed her arms to protect herself, but quickly fell before the inferno. Tiberius shielded his face from the holographic flames as Ehren exploded, his life points dropping slightly.

 **Tiberius Vult - 3700 LP**

 **Chancellor Yukiza Yang - 4000 LP**

"You'll pay for that, infidel!" Tiberius growled as he sent his monster to the graveyard.

"Brave words, but I doubt that will be the case," Chancellor Yang retorted, tossing her blue hair over her shoulder before grabbing two more cards from her hand. "I'll end my turn with two face downs."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Tiberius said, drawing a card with a flourish.

 **Turn 3: Tiberius Vult**

"From my hand I activate the Solar Recharge spell card!" Tiberius declared, sliding the card into the slot on his duel disk. "Now by discarding Rinyan, The Lightsworn Rogue I'm allowed to draw two cards, then send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard!" The crowd watched with bated breath as Tiberius completed the actions granted by the spell card.

"You know, milling is somewhat of an outdated strategy, Mr. Vult," Chancellor Yang called, a coy grin on her face. "Any number of cards can completely block your strategy, leaving you defenseless."

"Ha!" Tiberius scoffed, eyeing the cards in his hand. "Outdated it may be, but my deck has never let me down. Templars like myself have never known defeat, and I certainly won't start today. Especially when I have this card in my hand! The spell card, Upstart Goblin! I can draw one additional card, but you gain 1000 lifepoints."

Chancellor Yang raised an eyebrow as her lifepoints increased by 1000, furthering her lead over Tiberius.

 **Tiberius Vult - 3700 LP**

 **Chancellor Yukiza Yang - 5000 LP**

"I hope that spell was worth it, Mr. Vult," Chancellor Yang said. Tiberius laughed in response, gleefully holding the card he had drawn.

"Chancellor Yang, I am sorry that this duel couldn't have lasted longer," Tiberius said, grinning. "But unfortunately this is the end for you!" Tiberius then turned and faced the crowd of students around him, raising his arms in victory.

"My brothers and sisters!" He called out to the assembled freshman. "Rejoice! With this card, the infidel's defeat is assured, and your duel disks' safety guaranteed! I hope that you all will now recognize and believe in the divine power of the Templars! Deus Vult!"

For a moment there was complete silence on the dock as Tiberius's words echoed across the open ocean. Braden looked around at his classmates, his eyes darting from face to face. None of them seemed to have been roused by Tiberius's speech, as they all looked back and forth at each other, more embarrassed than inspired.

"Well," Braden said, loud enough so that everyone was able to hear. "I'm not one to let a good victory speech go unnoticed." Tiberius, looking a little surprised that his declaration actually caused something other than his own embarrassment, began to smile as Braden stepped forward and gave him a thumbs up.

"Show this lady who's boss, Tiberius!" Braden cheered. Tiberius's smile widened as the other freshman took up Braden's call and began to shout their own words of encouragement.

"Come on Tiberius!"

"Kick her butt!"

"You've got some weird clothes, but don't let that stop you from winning!"

"Save our duel disks!"

"Tiberius! Tiberius! Tiberius!"

Tiberius felt his heart soar as the crowd began to take up the cheer in ernest, chanting his name excitedly. Laughing and putting on his bravest face, Tiberius turned back to his opponent.

"You claim that milling is a poor strategy, but it has allowed me to call upon my favorite creature on merely my second turn!" Tiberius said to Chancellor Yang. "Since I have four different Lightsworn monsters with different names in my graveyard, I can call upon the power of this legendary beast! Come now, answer my call! The holy power of the light summons you to Earth to wage the Lord's battles! Your talons claw the path to victory, and your cries herald the dawning of a new age! I summon you now, Judgement Dragon!"

Braden covered his ears as a deafening roar filled the air, announcing the arrival of Tiberius's monster. The beast emerged from a pillar of white light in the middle of Tiberius's field, dwarfing Tiberius's Wulf. The dragon was covered in dazzlingly white feathers and its wings were more akin to the wings of an angel than the scaly skin of typical dragons. Chancellor Yang's Suanni hissed angrily at Tiberius's dragon, who planted its blood-red talons into the concrete and roared a challenge, completely drowning out the angry squacks of the Chancellor's wyrm.

Judgement Dragon - (Light/Dragon)

LV 8

(3000/2600)

"Impressive, not many people can summon Judgement Dragon on their second turn," Chancellor Yang said. Tiberius scoffed, a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Flattery will not save you now!" Tiberius replied. "I activate Judgement Dragon's special ability! By paying 1000 lifepoints, I can destroy every card on your field! Go now Judgement Dragon, wipe the heretic's field clear with your Cleansing Breath!"

Chancellor Yang grinned as a beam of brilliant white light erupted from Judgement Dragon's maw, obliterating her monster and her two facedowns.

"Not bad, not bad at all, Mr. Vult."

"Now with nothing to protect yourself with, Judgement Dragon is free to attack you directly!" Tiberius shouted, earning another roar of approval from the students. "Go Judgement Dragon! Lay waste to her lifepoints! Divine Rend!"

Chancellor Yang cried out as Judgement Dragon leapt forward with a powerful flap of its wings and chomped down on her midriff, taking a chunk of her lifepoints with it as it retreated to Tiberius's field.

 **Tiberius Vult - 2700 LP**

 **Chancellor Yukiza Yang - 2000 LP**

"Now Wulf, end this duel! Attack Chancellor Yang directly!" Tiberius ordered.

"I don't think so!" Chancellor Yang yelled. "By discarding Kuriboh from my hand I take no battle damage from your Wulf's attack, saving my lifepoints!" Tiberius frowned as his monster retreated to his side.

"You may have survived that attack, but this duel is as good as over," Tiberius said. "I'll end my turn, but not before sending the top four cards of my deck to the graveyard due to Judgement Dragon's ability."

'Wow, Tiberius is really good…' Braden thought, looking in awe at the shimmering profile of Judgement Dragon. 'It's going to take a miracle for Chancellor Yang to win this.'

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"Well well well, this is unexpected," Brandon said, grinning. "We may have a few skilled duelists with this new batch after all. This guy has Chancellor Yang on the ropes… looks like you have some competition for who's top dog, Yuro."

Yuro cracked an eye open and set his gaze on the smiling Obelisk a few feet away.

"What's on the rookie's field?" Yuro asked, bored.

"He has a Judgement Dragon and a Wulf, Lightsworn Beast," Syd replied. "No spells, traps, or facedowns." Yuro sighed and shut his eye.

"That kid doesn't stand a chance."

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"Alright, my turn!" Chancellor Yang said. "I draw!"

 **Turn 4: Chancellor Yukiza Yang**

"I'll start things off by summoning Bixi, Water of the Yang Zing in attack mode," Chancellor Yang said, placing the card on her duel disk. Unlike her Suanni, which looked like a cross between and lion and a dragon, Bixi strongly resembled a turtle. Stray drops of water dripped from Bixi's blue shell as it shook itself and bugled.

Bixi, Water of the Yang Zing - (Water/Wyrm)

LV 2

(0/2000)

"Hey, what's the deal?" A student called out. "Why would she summon a monster with no attack points in attack mode? Does she want to lose?"

"A fair question indeed…" Tiberius said. "What are you planning to do with a monster that has no attack points against the might of my Lightsworn?"

"Hmph," Chancellor Yang grunted. "It seems that you rookies have a thing or two to learn about combos. I guess it's up to me to teach you all. Consider this your first lesson! Now, from my hand I activate the spell card, Brain Control! By paying 800 lifepoints, I can take control of one monster on your field until the end of my turn!"

 **Tiberius Vult: 2700 LP**

 **Chancellor Yukiza Yang: 1200 LP**

 _'Not a terrible strategy, now she can take his Judgement Dragon. But why summon Bixi in attack mode then?'_ Braden wondered _._

"With the power of Brain Control, I take your...Wulf, Lightsworn Beast!" There was a collective "huh?" of confusion from the gathered students as Wulf's eyes went blank and it plodded to Chancellor Yang's side.

"What on Earth-?" Tiberius sputtered.

"I'm not done!" Chancellor Yang yelled. "Next, I activate the spell card, Enemy Controller! Now by tributing one monster, I can force us each to swap control of one pair of monsters for the rest of the turn! So I sacrifice Bixi and offer my Wulf, Lightsworn Beast for exchange!"

"Wait...but that means…" Tiberius stammered, growing pale.

"That's right!" Chancellor Yang said, grinning evilly. "Since you only have Judgement Dragon on your field, you have to give control of it to me!"

"Damn you…" Tiberius growled as Judgement Dragon and Wulf traded places. Braden was completely befuddled by the Chancellor's move, as were the rest of the freshmen spectators.

 _'If she wanted control of Judgement Dragon, then why not just use Brain Control on it from the start?'_ Braden wondered _._

"Now then, I activate Bixi's special ability! When it is destroyed by battle or card effect, I'm allowed to summon one Yang Zing monster from my deck, as long as it isn't another Bixi. So I special summon Chiwen, Light of the Yang Zing!"

In a flash of light Chiwen materialized next to Judgement Dragon, its snakelike frame dwarfed in comparison to Judgement Dragon.

Chiwen, Light of The Yang Zing - (Light/Wyrm)

LV 1

(0/0)

"Now, I activate Judgement Dragon's special ability!" Chancellor Yang yelled. "I think you're familiar with it already. Go Judgement Dragon! Cleansing Breath!"

Tiberius shielded his eyes as his monster turned on him, wiping his field clean. He lowered his arm and glared at the Chancellor.

 **Tiberius Vult - 2700 LP**

 **Chancellor Yukiza Yang - 200 LP**

"So...you intend to defeat me with my own Dragon?" Tiberius asked.

"Not exactly," Chancellor Yang answered. "Now, I tune my Chiwen to your Judgement Dragon! The ancient legend foretold of its arrival, and now it has come! God of the skies! Ruler of the ancestral lands of China! Its scales glitter with the brilliance of a thousand jewels! I synchro summon...Chaofeng, Phantom of the Yang Zing!"

Braden's jaw dropped in awe as the Chancellor's monster took the field. The beast itself almost seemed to be made from a rainbow, with its emerald scales, blue and violet wings, yellow legs, and red underbelly. Its four wings sent a violent gust of air whipping across the dock as it descended. The creature looked like a dragon, but it had the head and beak of a bird. The Wyrm coiled its neck around the Chancellor and cawed like an eagle, glaring at Tiberius.

Chaofeng, Phantom of the Yang Zing - (Light/Wyrm)

LV 9

(2800/2200)

"That was her plan all along…" Braden whispered, awestruck. "She needed to use Brain Control and Enemy Controller at the same time so she could take Judgement Dragon and summon her tuner monster. I never would have thought of using two cards that basically do the same thing in a single combo like that...brilliant…"

"Your dragon was powerful Tiberius, but I never let any monster other than my own have the final blow," Chancellor Yang said. "Now Chaofeng, end this duel! Rainbow scale slash!" The monster cawed and took to the air, circling Tiberius.

Tiberius lowered his head in defeat and fell to his knees as Chaofeng screeched and descended on the young duelist, ending the duel with a single swipe of its claws.

 **-DUEL END-**

 **Tiberius Vult - 0000 LP**

 **Chancellor Yukiza Yang - 200 LP**

 **-DUEL END-**

The dock was silent as the hologram of Chaofeng faded away, its job done. Chancellor Yang strode towards her opponent as the duel disk on her arm collapsed, returning to its original compact size on her arm.

"You have a lot to learn, Mr. Vult," The Chancellor said, stopping in front of the kneeling freshman. "You always have to have a plan to counter spell cards like mine, no matter how much it seems like the duel is as good as won."

Tiberius lowered his head even more, the Chancellor's words hitting him like a pile of stones. His arrogance had cost him the match, and he knew it.

"That being said…" Tiberius started and lifted his head, his eyes landing on the Chancellor's outstretched hand. She smiled and helped Tiberius to his feet.

"You lost, but you dueled well," The Chancellor said. "Not many people have been able to put me on the ropes like that, you should be proud."

"But...I let my brothers and sister down...I was defeated…" Tiberius murmured, his eyes downcast.

"Dueling is not just about winning and losing, Mr. Vult," The Chancellor said. "You have a bright future ahead of you, don't let this one loss define that future. Besides, they don't look too let down to me."

It was at that moment that Tiberius's ears finally registered the sound that had been playing at the edge of his consciousness, originally drowned out by his shame but now allowed to enter his mind in full force…

Applause.

Everyone was clapping for the two duelists, with a few cheers mixed in. Braden clapped enthusiastically, beaming at Tiberius.

"That was a great duel!" He yelled with a grin.

"He's right, it was a good duel," Chancellor Yang said. "However...you still lost, and a deal's a deal. Everyone with a duel disk, bring it forward for confiscation now! Anyone caught with an unsanctioned duel disk beyond this point will be expelled!"

All of the clapping died in an instant as the Chancellor's words echoed across the dock. No one moved. Tiberius swept his eyes over the crowd, then sighed.

"Fine then," He sighed, taking off his custom duel disk and laying it gently at the feet of the Chancellor. "My honor as a Templar and as a Duelist hold me to the terms of our duel. Please treat my duel disk with care."

As if on cue, several students pushed forward from the crowd and layed their own duel disks at the Chancellor's feet where Tiberius had put his. A minute later, the Chancellor has a sizeable pile of duel disks at her feet.

When no one else stepped forward, the Chancellor grinned and clapped her hands together.

"Alright, I think that concludes our opening ceremony! Now, please follow me so I can show you to the main hall. There you'll receive your dorm assignments."

Turning on her heel, the Chancellor strode down the dock towards the main body of Duel academy, her blue hair flowing freely behind her. Braden and the rest of the freshman looked at each other for a moment, then hustled after the head of the school.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The walk up the hill to Duel Academy hadn't taken long, and before he knew it Braden was standing in front of a check-in desk in the main hall of Duel Academy, a bored senior dressed in the blue suit of the Obelisk dorm on the other side.

"Name…?" The boy yawned, his eyes barely meeting Braden's.

"Braden Furifuto." The Obelisk scanned the tablet in front of him for a few moments, his finger swiping up as he hunted for Braden's name.

"Hmm...sorry kid, I don't see your name here," The Obelisk said. Braden's heart leapt up his throat and the blood drained from his face.

"Wh-wh-what?" Braden stammered, his eyes bugging out of his head. The Obelisk, seeing Braden's distress, chuckled nervously and put his hands up.

"Just kidding, sorry that was a bad joke," The boy said. Braden exhaled heavily, putting a hand on the desk in front of him to steady himself.

"Oh...just a joke…" Braden wheezed, struggling to get his heart rate under control. That would have been the worst way to go...getting removed from the campus due to a paperwork error.

"Okay… says here that you've been assigned to the Ra Yellow dorm," the boy read. "Once we're done checking everyone in the teacher overseer of the other Ra's will escort you to the dorm and show you your room. You'll meet your roommate there."

Braden nodded mutely, unable to say a word. He felt weightless, full of giddy euphoria as he backed away from the check-in desk.

' _I'm_ _a_ _Ra_ …!' Braden thought, ecstatic. After nearly losing his entrance duel, Braden was certain that he would start as a Slifer and have to work his way up. ' _It_ _must have been the written exam then. I guess I did pretty well if it was enough to bolster me up an entire rank.'_

Braden fought the urge to do a victory dance and tried to distract himself by examining his surroundings.

The main hall itself was a massive open space with a domed ceiling and pillars lining the center walkway. The mascots of the school, the three Egyptian god monsters, were painted onto the ceiling in frighteningly accurate detail. Three carpets, a red a blue and a yellow, ran the length of the room. The walls were a soft cream color, and the parts of the floor that weren't covered by carpet were tiled. Like all schools, a faint smell of must and disinfectant hung in the air. But...there were also far more welcoming aromas. The salty brine of the ocean, the tropical scents of the island, and more than anything: the delightful scent of new cards.

There were three desks set up to check in the freshman, each one manned by an Obelisk. The freshman who had finished checking in stood off to the side, in various states of excitement based on their dorm assignments.

Braden felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Feli.

"Oh, hey Feli!" Braden greeted the girl with a grin. "What dorm are you in?"

"They said I'm a Ra," Feli replied nonchalantly, stifling a yawn with her hand. At first Braden was puzzled by the offhanded way Feli had answered his question, but then he saw the familiar glint of excitement in Feli's eyes. The glint that he knew he too had. It wasn't that Feli was indifferent, she just hid her emotions more.

"Awesome! That means we're classmates!" Braden said, slinging his arm over Feli's shoulders.

"But we would be classmates no matter what dorm we got assigned to," Feli answered.

"Come on, you know what I meant," Braden pouted, eliciting a short giggle from his friend.

"Excuse me everyone, may I have your attention please?!" Someone yelled. Braden, Feli, and the rest of the freshman all turned to face the speaker.

The man wore a Ra yellow uniform, and had a tablet tucked under his arm. Fastened to his arm was a custom duel academy duel disk, featuring not one, not two, but six separate deck slots on its enlarged body. He had coal colored hair that was styled such that it appeared to be pointing backwards. His eyes were the same color as his hair, and he had a serious expression on his face.

"Hello everyone!" The man said. "It seems that all of the new Ra's have been checked-in, so if you have been assigned to the Ra yellow dormitory please follow me." Braden, Feli, and about 40 or so other freshman stepped forward and followed the man as he led them through a door on the right side of the main hall, taking them all back outside.

"I'll be giving my own sort of orientation to the Ra yellow dormitory as we make the walk over, so please do your best to keep up," the man said, prompting the group of freshman to quicken their pace.

"My name is Rintaro Sekino, and I am the teacher overseer of the Ra yellow dormitory. You all may call me Professor Sekino. First, I would like to extend my congratulations to all of you for being accepted into my dormitory. You all displayed acute knowledge of Duel Monsters during your entrance exams, and it is that knowledge that has granted you the privilege of wearing the yellow of Ra. I myself am an alumni of this school and this dormitory, and I will hold all of you to the same standards of excellence that I held myself to when I was a student. Should any one of you display behavior unbecoming of a Ra, then I will not hesitate to put in a request for your transfer to the Slifer dormitory. However, I will also reward stellar work and dueling abilities with a recommendation to the Obelisk dormitory. Do any of you have any questions? No? Splendid."

Braden zoned at as Professor Sekino continued his speech, entertaining himself by taking in Duel Academy's campus. Palm trees swayed gently in the tropical breeze, and the faint crash of the ocean could be heard. All around Braden were students of Duel Academy going about their business. Some lounged in benches and at tables, enjoying the weather or watching the freshman curiously. Others read their textbooks and did homework, while the rest were doing what Duel Academy was known for: dueling.

' _I'm home_ …' Braden thought, smiling as he watched the other students of Duel Academy, his future classmates.

"Well here we are, the Ra yellow dormitory!" Professor Sekino declared, stopping in front of a medium-sized building. The dorm stood atop a small hill on the West side of the campus, perched above a cliff. The building had a slanted green roof, and was painted a soft yellow. Spotless white railings and balconies ran along the ground and second floor of the dormitory, along with near perfect landscaping. Large bay windows allowed plenty of natural light into the dormitory.

"It's even nicer in person…" Braden said with a smile. Professor Sekino beamed at the building, turning to address his new students.

"This dormitory is the symbol of your rank here at Duel Academy, and for most of you will be your home for the next four years. Here you will rest your minds and bodies, study, and socialize with your fellow Ra's. Now, at this time I'd like to share with you all the rules that govern this dormitory."

There was a soft groan from the assembled students, and Professor Senkino raised an eyebrow at the griping freshman.

"Unless...you'd all like to be demoted to the Slifer dormitory…?"

That shut everyone up, and Professor Senkino grinned and proceeded to recite the rules.

"Number one: you will each be responsible for a certain task for the maintenance of the dormitory. No trades, no days off, no exceptions."

"Number two: despite becoming a Co-Ed dormitory five years ago, that does not give male and female students free-reign to go where they please. Female students must remain on the second floor, and male students must remain on the first floor. You all may mingle in the main hall of the dormitory, but any student caught breaking this rule will be subjected to immediate demotion and further disciplinary action."

"Number three: you all must maintain a certain level of cleanliness and hygiene. Room inspections will be held randomly and with no prior warning. Failure to meet the preset standards of the dormitory cleanliness policy will result in disciplinary action."

His recital concluded, Professor Sekino took a moment to survey the crowd. The sight of his stony-faces freshman made him hesitate, and he sighed and softened his face.

"Forgive me," he said, giving the new Ra's a reconciliatory smile. "I know that you all just arrived at Duel Academy, and I know that the last thing any of you want to hear is the rules that govern my dormitory. These regulations may seem extreme, but I promise you that they will all become routine in a few days time. Rest assured, you all will love your time as Ra's just as I did, and you will wear the yellow of your rank with pride."

Braden smiled and nodded at the Professor. The rules themselves hadn't really bothered him all that much, but it was good to know that they're brainy overseer wasn't as cold as he came off.

"Now then," the Professor continued without skipping a beat. "If you'll all follow me inside, you can receive your room assignment."

A wave of exited murmuring rippled through the crowd as the students followed Professor inside the dormitory. Grabbing the smooth wood handles in each hand, the Professor swung the double doors open and beckoned the freshmen inside.

Braden craned his neck as he went inside, eagerly absorbing every detail of the dormitory. The walls were painted the same yellow as their rank, and bookshelves lined the walls. Round tables were tucked into alcoves at regular intervals, where other Ra's sat studying and dueling. The entire space was brightly lit by a combination of natural light and soft yellow lamps. And most of all, the entire hall was impeccably clean. The Professor's shoes clicked sharply against the hardwood floor as he strode towards the main desk at the back of the area. The female Ra manning the desk looked up and gave the Professor a small smile and a nod as he approached.

"Hello, Professor Sekino," The girl said politely. "I see you've brought some guests with you today."

"Good day, Nina," Professor Sekino replied. "Yes, these are your new classmates, this year's class of Ra yellow students."

The girl behind the desk, Nina, stood up and gave a small bow to the assembled students.

"It's very nice to meet you all," Nina said. There was a chorus of returned greetings as Nina sat back down, returning her attention to the Professor.

"Nina, would you be so kind as to pull up the list of room assignments for the students?" Professor Sekino asked.

"I have it right here, Professor," Nina said, pulling a sheet of paper out of a folder on the desk. "You asked me to print out a copy of the dossier earlier, remember?"

"Ah, indeed I did," Professor Sekino said, taking the sheet. "Thank you Nina."

The Professor turned to face the new Ra's, clearing his throat as he lifted the sheet of paper.

"When I call your name, step forward. I'll give you your room number and Nina will give you a key. In your rooms you will find your uniform and your school-issues duel disk. Lose either and you will incur the wrath of Chancellor Yang, and you will be beyond my help."

The Professor proceeded to call out names one by one. Each student scurried forward and retrieved their key before excitedly heading towards their room.

"Braden Furifuto…?" The Professor finally called. Braden strider forward, fighting the urge to smile widely as the Professor read him his room number.

"Mr. Furifuto, you've been assigned room 117," the Professor said. "Please make your way there now."

Braden nodded, grabbed his key from Nina, and practically ran down the hall towards his room.

He paused outside the door with his room number on it, savoring the moment.

' _Behind_ _that_ _door_ _is_ _my_ _new_ _home_... _my_ _room_ …' Braden thought. Slowly, he lifted the key and slid it into the keyhole. A few turns and a click later, Braden swung the door to his room open.

It was plain as far as rooms went. The walls and ceiling were painted Ra yellow, and the floor was the same hardwood as the rest of the dormitory. A bed was tucked into each corner of the average sized room, and a desk and wardrobe were set against the walls behind each bed, facing each other. One door led to a small but clean bathroom, and a sliding glass door led outside to the room's private balcony which had a stunning view of the ocean.

Braden registered all of that in a second, marveling at it all for a moment before his eyes fell on the beds. In a fraction of a moment all of the details of his room were forgotten, completely blocked out by what lay on his bed. On his bed lay two of the most beautiful objects he had ever seen.

His school uniform and his new duel disk.

Crossing the room in a few hurried strides, Braden picked the uniform up and held it in front of his face, his eyes hungrily devouring every inch of the yellow and white fabric in his hands. The suit looked like it would fit him perfectly, and was a beautiful yellow color with a white trim. Braden ran his fingers over the shining buttons, tracing the top of the high collar reverently. Also on the bed lay a coal-grey undershirt and coal-grey pants, which Braden also took time to admire. And at the foot of the bed lay the crown jewel…

Unlike the mass produced Kaibacorp duel disks that were typically used, the duel disk on the bed had curved and smooth features rather than sharp blade-like edges. The duel disk was mostly a chrome silver color, with yellow accents and borders along the edges. The main body of the duel disk was shaped like a number six and housed three slots for the deck, extra deck, and graveyard. A sphere of blue glass was inlaid into the center of the duel disk which served as the lifepoint counter.

As Braden picked the duel disk up the device whirred to life, automatically extending into its dueling configuration. The blade of the duel disk was curved, and the monster card zone was divided into two sections by another glass sphere, though this one was red. Braden turned the duel disk over in his hands slowly, delicately, as if he was handling a piece of fragile artwork. He scrutinized every millimeter of the device, inspecting and doing his best to memorize every little detail.

Braden may have made it onto the island. He may have been checked in at the main hall. He may have been given a place among the Ra's, a room, and a uniform. But, it was this that made it official. The duel disk in his hands was the real symbol of his acceptance into the dueling academia, and it meant more to Braden than anything he had ever been given before…

Well, anything except his cards that is.

As Braden stood there admiring the duel disk he suddenly had a vision of dropping the precious device on the floor. Mortified, he gently lay it on the bed and as he was doing so he had a thought.

 _'Wait...I thought I was supposed to have a roommate…?'_

As if on cue, the door suddenly burst open startling Braden and causing him to jump. There was a hearty laugh as a figure filled the doorway, a familiar masculine voice calling out:

"Hello, brother! It appears that we are roommates!"

Braden turned, and came face to face...face to chest rather with his new roommate. The teenager stroder into the room and clapped his fist over his heart, giving Braden the same greeting that he had given Chancellor Yang not too long ago.

"You may know this already, as I'm sure you witnessed my battle with our Mighty Chancellor, but my name is Tiberius Vult! I am honored to make your acquaintance and I am sure that we will become the best of friends!"

Braden smiled and, unsure of what else to do, mimicked Tiberius's actions.

"Hello Tiberius, I'm Braden Furifuto. It's really nice to meet you."

Braden then extended his hand for a handshake. Tiberius looked at Braden's outstretched hand for a moment, then knocked it aside and pulled Braden into a bone-crushing bear hug, laughing all the while.

Braden had time to squeak before the air was forced from his lungs under the immense pressure of Tiberius's embrace.

It was going to be an interesting year…

 **Hey guys! So sorry for the long wait, I was working on my other story and school got really hectic as winter break approached. Also, that was the first duel I had ever written so I hope it turned out alright. I know it was short, but I hope that it really drove home how skilled Chancellor Yang is. More of the SYOCs made their debuts in this chapter, and I hope they came out as they were intended to by you guys. Now, the reviews!**

 **Onyxwhip: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I know, I emailed the creators of fanfiction to see if I could get an intro for my story but they never replied :'(. I hope the story continues to please!**

 **AnonChan1: Woah, you certainly don't mess around with your reviews. That's a good thing though, I like it! I'm really glad that you like Braden, it's always nice to know when I do right by my characters and present them well. And as for Feli, I just liked her so much that she's definitely going to be a key character in the story so you'll see plenty of her from now on. Just make sure to let me know if I ever do something with her character that you don't like, she is yours after all. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Phantom Knight21: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the last update, and I hope this chapter was its equal.**

 **It's Raining Justice: Well I'm glad that I got the character interactions down in the previous chapter, but I didn't realize that I did them so poorly in the prologue. I got a lot of PMs that said, like you, that they were a bit worried about character interactions after reading the prologue but felt better after the last update. Anyway, I'm glad that you liked the previous chapter, and I hope this chapter satisfied you as well.**

 **DoTheBartMan: I searched for the SYOC you suggested but I never found it. I hope my method for writing duels will suffice.**

 **Anyway, thank you all again for taking the time to read and hopefully review my story! If you're new to the story and like it, feel free to let me know my following or favoriting the story. Also, feel free to leave a review or PM me your thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, or praise as I'll always get back to you.**

 **One more thing, I know this chapter wa as bit on the longer side, updates typically won't be as long as this one was. Thanks again for all your support! See you all on the flipside.**


	4. The First Day part 1

For what felt like the millionth time that day, Braden fervently wished that he could sit down for a minute.

Today was their first official day at Duel Academy, and he had been going full throttle since Tiberius had woken him up at 7 am for he called a "light exercise routine". They didn't have class until 9, so Braden had (somewhat sleepily) agreed. He wouldn't have accepted quite so quickly if he had known that Tiberius's idea of "light exercise" was a 3 mile run followed by a full routine of abdominal exercises, push-ups in every manner that Braden had ever heard of and a few that he hadn't, and a set of stretching that made him feel like his muscles were going to snap like rubber bands.

As they worked out Braden couldn't help but be amazed by Tiberius's truly prodigal strength. The massive teen had kept Braden awake through half of the night: laughing, telling stories, and pleading with him to show Tiberius his deck (which Braden politely declined to do). But while Braden was exhausted and running on fumes from only a few hours of sleep, Tiberius appeared to be as energetic as ever.

After what felt like an eternity, Tiberius announced that they had finished. While Braden was coughing and wheezing in the dirt, trying to get the ground to stop spinning, Tiberius stood tall with only a few small beads of sweat on his brow. When Braden had recovered enough to talk, he smiled up at his companion and said:

"Well now I know where those muscles come from."

He was then violently sick in the dirt as Tiberius laughed and ran off to get his roommate some water.

Adding insult to injury, their exercise had taken so long that by the time they made it back to their dorm, showered, got dressed and got a bite to eat they had to run to make it to their first class, Ethics of Dueling, on time.

Their professor was a portly American who insisted they all call him Professor McNeal (but relented that he really should be called Professor McMeal). The professor was a short and jolly man with a thick copper bead and bushy copper eyebrows, but was otherwise completely bald. He wore a Slifer red uniform that was tailored to contain his massive girth, and the sleeves were stained with the remains of past meals. His class was in one of the massive lecture halls in the main building of Duel Academy, with a high ceiling that Braden had to crane his neck to see. The classroom itself had a plain white color palette and was unadorned in any way.

After they had all sat down and Professor McNeal had introduced himself, he apologized for the stark decor.

"I asked them if I could hang some artwork or install a pool or something, but the higher-ups wouldn't go for it," The professor had joked. Braden could tell immediately that he liked the man.

Professor McNeal had been a tournament announcer for several years before coming to teach at Duel Academy, and was well known and loved throughout the dueling circuit for his enthusiastic and hilarious commentary, as well as his voracious appetite.

"I'm going to warn you all now," The Professor said. "Despite my poor attempts at humor and my dazzling smile, this class is painfully, _exhaustingly_ boring. I've tried everything, but there is simply no way to make a class about dueling etiquette, rules, and how to act on camera interesting. It just can't be done. So, rather than getting started with our first lesson, I'm going to take you all on a guided tour of Duel Academy. That work for everyone?" He basked in the excited cheers of his students for a moment, then grabbed his coat and strode out of the room leaving his students to scramble out of their seats after him.

Professor McNeal lived up to his reputation as a prime-time announcer as they toured Duel Academy, much to the amusement of his students. He cracked jokes, pointed out points of interest, and alluded to some of the mischief that he had seen and heard during his time as a teacher at Duel Academy. As they walked in the shadows of the massive sandstone obelisks that stood at the focal points of the grounds Professor McNeal gave a detailed history of the island itself, Seto Kaiba's acquisition of the island and the subsequent construction of Duel Academy.

"If the stories are to be believed, the builders of Duel Academy each put their rarest card into the foundations of these pillars to give them strength and imbue them with duel energy," The Professor said before moving on. Braden stopped and put his hand on one of the pillars for a moment, trying to see if he could feel any cards within the stone, but moved off when he realized how silly he must have looked.

The students oohed and aahed as their teacher led them through Duel Academy's hall of fame, pointing out all of the famous duelists whose pictures lined the walls and sharing stories about his various encounters with them all. The hall of fame was a long room full of the smiling faces of Duel Academy's famous alumni. Each photo was framed in either a red, blue, or yellow frame depending on the dorm the student was in when they graduated. It went without saying that most of the frames were blue.

"Any of you recognize this guy?" The Professor said suddenly, stopping in front of picture of a grinning young man. He had a full head of bright red hair and a smile so white and wide it seemed to glow. In his hand was a blue-lined card - a ritual monster - and around his neck was a leather necklace from which a small shamrock pendant hung. Nobody put any names forward: he wasn't any professional duelist that they recognized.

Braden stared at the picture intently, his brow furrowed. The man in the picture was much thinner then, and he had a full head of hair, but that smile was unmistakable.

"Is that you, Professor McNeal?" Braden asked. The Professor grinned, and in that moment the young, fit man on the wall and the portly teacher in front of them were indistinguishable.

"Right you are, Mr…" McNeal smiled apologetically at Braden, shrugging.

"Braden Furifuto," Braden said.

"Well that was a very good guess Mr. Furifuto, top marks. Now then, let's continue with the tour."

Professor McNeal kept up an incredibly quick pace throughout the rest of the tour despite his size, leading the freshmen all over Duel Academy. Older students waved and greeted the Professor enthusiastically as they walked, which Professor McNeal returned.

Braden's head spun with awe and disbelief as he took it all in. His jaw hung open as Professor McNeal showed them Duel Academy's indoor Turbo Dueling track, complete box seats for teachers and alumni as well as cushioned bleachers for the students. The smell of burnt rubber and tarmac filled the air, as fragrant to Braden as any flower.

Braden chuckled as he listened to Tiberius and a few other students woop excitedly when the Professor showed them Duel Academy's gym and workout facilities, full of wall-to-wall mirrors and state of the art exercise equipment.

Braden did his best not to grab handfuls of packs and stuff them into his pockets when McNeal showed them Duel Academy's world famous card shop: stuffed from top to bottom with display cases of rare cards, shelves of booster packs, stacks of pre-built decks, and a plethora of other dueling gear and apparel.

The campus of Duel Academy itself was a delight to tour. The grounds were meticulously managed, the emerald grass and bushes just-so. The walkways were colored concrete and alternated between red, blue and yellow. Benches and tables dotted the campus underneath the cool shade of trees, where students could sit to eat, relax, or study. The tropical breeze tousled Braden's hair and the warm sun lifted his spirits.

Braden loved every inch of Duel Academy, that much was certain, but he would have enjoyed the tour more if he wasn't so exhausted. Professor McNeal and his classmates were keeping up a merciless pace, and as the tour went on Braden found it increasingly difficult to put one foot in front of the other. Several times, Braden found himself pushing to the front and taking a breath to ask if they could take a short break, but every time he was interrupted by the sight of a new attraction or building.

The tour had gone on for nearly 2 hours, and Braden was on his last legs. His feet were sore and his legs had started to cramp. A slow flow of sweat was trickling down his back along the curve of his spine, and his breath whistled softly out of his mouth. It wasn't that hot, but the sun pounded painfully on Braden's head and made his vision swim. Braden's duel disk, which he had carried with pride and reverence earlier that morning, now felt like nothing more than a cumbersome weight on his arm.

' _Just a quick break...five minutes tops…'_ Braden pleaded silently, staring greedily at an empty bench under the deliciously cool shade of a palm tree. He could have cried when Professor McNeal and the rest of the group passed it by without so much as a glance.

"Hey...you alright?" A familiar voice said, penetrating the fog of exhaustion that had settled on Braden's mind. He turned his head to the side and peered, bleary-eyed, at the person who had spoken.

"Oh, hullo Feli." Feli's brown eyes, normally full of tired indifference, now shown with concern for her friend. She looked Braden up and down, taking in his sweaty clothes, glazed eyes, plodding pace, and matted hair in an instant.

"What happened to you last night?" She asked. "Did you get any sleep at all? You look like Hell."

"Mmph," Braden grunted, rubbing his eyes. "Barely. You remember that kid who dueled Chancellor Yang yesterday? Tiberius?" Feli nodded, her eyes darting towards the front of the pack where Tiberius was.

"How could I forget?" She replied.

"Well, turns out he's my roommate," Braden said, smiling ruefully. "He kept me up most of the night talking, then he woke me up early this morning and took me through his exercise routine. Don't get me wrong, he's a really nice guy, just a little intense."

"Wow...that sounds...interesting."

"Yeah, that's one word for it. I've never been this tired in my life."

"You want me to ask the Professor if we can stop? I'm sure everyone else is starting to get tired too-"

"No no, I'm fine!" Braden protested, trying to pick up the pace to prove it. His leaden legs refused to obey him though, and when he tried to lengthen his stride his leg gave out and he fell hard on his butt.

"Yeah, you are definitely _not_ fine," Feli said, helping Braden to his feet. "Come here and sit down, I'll go get the Professor." Braden allowed himself to be led by the hand to one of the benches that lined the walkway and sank gratefully onto it. Braden watched her go, her black ponytail glittering in the sun as she trotted towards the front of the pack.

She was too far away to hear what she said, but Braden watched as she tugged on Professor McNeal's sleeve and pointed back at him animatedly. Professor McNeal and the rest of his classmates turned to look at him, and he felt himself blush and he gave an awkward little wave.

Professor McNeal nodded at Feli and began to waddle over to Braden, the rest of the class trailing behind him.

"Had a bit of a fall, Mr. Furifuto?" The Professor asked when he reached Braden. "Your friend Ms. Adesso tells me that you all but collapsed from exhaustion. Is that true?" Braden causally wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and did his best to smile nonchalantly at the Professor.

"Feli was just being a worry-wart sir, I'm fine," Braden replied. "I can keep going, no need to worry about me." Professor McNeal gave Braden a once-over. His eyes met Braden's for the briefest of moments, then he shot Braden a wink and straightened up.

"Well class, I must admit that I have worn myself out," Professor McNeal announced, turning to the rest of the class. He made a big show of wiping the sweat from his brow and fanned his face furiously. "It takes a lot of energy to lug all this "muscle" around, and my dogs are absolutely barking. I think it's about time that we take a little lunch break. Is anyone brave enough to take the lead back the way we came to the cafeteria?"

There was silence for a moment, then a male Obelisk stepped forward and offered to guide the class back. The rest of the students, enticed by the thought of drinks, food, and AC, followed him.

Professor McNeal hung back with Braden, as did Feli and Tiberius. The four of them stood in silence as the rest of the class walked away. Tiberius was the first to break the silence when the other freshmen were out of earshot.

"Geez Braden, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that my routine would do this to you," Tiberius said, his manly baritone all but gone and he hung his head, wringing his hands nervously. "I shouldn't have kept you up so late last night either...I'm really sorry."

"As you should be," Professor McNeal said. "Take this as a lesson Mr. Vult, be in tune with your abilities as well as those of your peers. You should always be aware of the limits of the people around you in relation to your own."

"Yes sir…" Tiberius's head sunk lower against his chest. Braden and Feli shared a glance, coming to a silent agreement.

"Hey come on, chin up Tiberius," Braden said, turning his attention to his roommate. "I'm fine, see?" Braden pushed himself off the bench and clapped the big teen on the shoulder, grinning.

"All I needed was a little break, I feel ready to go now!" Professor McNeal smiled, but gestured for Braden to sit back down.

"I admire your enthusiasm Mr. Furifuto, but you should really sit down-"

"Nope, we're far enough behind as it is! Let's go Tiberius, we don't want to be left behind!" Professor McNeal reached forward to grab Braden's collar but he was already gone, his shoes pounding against the pavement as he jogged down the path his classmates had gone. Tiberius laughed like rocks tumbling down a mountain.

"Not so fast brother! You've not yet recovered!" Tiberius ran off after Braden, leaving Feli and Professor McNeal alone on the concrete. Professor McNeal sighed heavily and turned to face the coffee-skinned girl, who looked vaguely bored despite the events of the past few minutes.

"So...how long have you known these two boys Ms. Adesso?"

"Those two? I met Braden on the ship yesterday, and I guess now was my first time with Tiberius in a group like that."

"Well," Professor McNeal faced the path where Braden's and Tiberius's forms were rapidly shrinking. "I'd stick close to those two if I were you...you seem to be the most collected of your little band, keep them out of trouble." Feli sighed, unsure of how the antics of two teenage boys had suddenly become her problem. And yet, a small spark of happiness glowed in her chest at the thought.

' _Friends…'_

"I will, Professor."

"Very good Ms. Adesso. Now let's get after them, shall we? I'm no stranger to our school's tropical climate, but I'm starting to feel my love handles melt away in this heat and I need them for my hibernation period." Feli stifled her laugh with her hand, turning away to hide her smile.

"Lead the way, sir."

XXX

The dining hall, like the rest of Duel Academy, was amazing. Every dorm had their own dining facilities for breakfast and dinner, but the dining hall was a place where all three ranks could come together and eat as one student body instead of being divided. The room itself was a massive circular space, with the serving stations lining the wall and the center of the room filled with round tables and booths. The air was blessedly cool and filled with the mouthwatering scents of cooking meat, fruit, freshly baked goods, and vegetables of all shapes and sizes.

By the time Feli and Professor McNeal walked in, the rest of the freshman class were already seated and tucking in to their meals. The excited chatter of the new students, complimented with laughter, warmed Professor McNeal's heart. But what was more exciting to Professor McNeal than the energy of the students themselves was the seating arrangement they had settled into.

Slifers and Ras and Obelisks all sat together. Each table held a splash of each color, and no one color sat entirely by themselves. Slifers joked with Obelisks. Ras smiled and talked excitedly with Slifers. Obelisks roared with laughter and made playful challenges to Ras and Slifers.

Professor McNeal smiled widely at the sight of it, and in that moment he was certain that the future of Duel Academy was secure in the hands of these young duelists.

' _It wasn't always this way…'_ Professor McNeal reflected. ' _I can only hope that it lasts…'_

Professor McNeal was broken out of his thoughts by a sudden gale of laughter and applause from all of the assembled students. A male Obelisk was doubled over a table, clutching his stomach. Three large glass mugs sat in front of him: two were empty and one was a quarter filled with milk.

Braden Furifuto sat on the other end of the table, grinning widely as he wiped a milk mustache on the back of his hand. Three empty mugs sat in front of him, and the big Ra -Tiberius was his name- stood behind him, clapping him on the shoulder.

Professor McNeal had had a long career in Duel Monsters. He'd met every kind of duelist, from the arrogant to the meek. The combative to the timid. The celebrity to the recluse. Over time, Professor McNeal had learned what it was that good duelists great, and what made great duelists legends. He'd heard it be called by many names, but to him it was simply "The Spark". Professor McNeal could tell who had The Spark and who didn't, it was a gift of his. Sometimes it took some coaxing for The Spark to make its appearance, other times it was there as plain as day. One thing was certain: Braden Furifuto had it.

The thought had no sooner crossed his mind than his phone began to ring loudly in his pocket, a very specific ringtone sending his hand darting down without a moment's hesitation. Professor McNeal took the small black device in his ham-like hand and raised it to his ear.

"Yes Chancellor Yang?" He said.

"Professor McNeal, I assume you are seeing what I am seeing?"

"Of course Chancellor." Professor McNeal didn't need to ask if the Chancellor was looking at the camera feeds of the dining hall, he knew that she was. The woman who was his boss at times seemed to have a 6th sense for detecting talent and leadership among her students, and she was without a doubt the most frightening and intriguing woman he had ever met.

"That young man, Braden Furifuto, are you familiar with him?"

"Yes Chancellor, we've spoken today a few times."

"Look at him Professor. Look at how he holds himself. He's the center of attention, but he isn't basking in it or making a fool of himself. He's so confident, so casual. A natural leader."

"I agree Chancellor, he does show some promise."

"Does he have it, Professor McNeal?" The Professor didn't need to ask her to clarify what she meant. He knew.

"I believe he does, Chancellor." There was a brief moment of staticy silence.

"I want him tested, Professor."

"Of course Chancellor, right away." Professor McNeal tapped the phone and slid it back into his pocket. He took a half step towards his students, then stopped and corrected his face. The stern lines that had covered his face moments ago melted away and the familiar happy glint returned to his eyes. He strode towards his students, grinning widely now.

Professor McNeal clapped his hands together twice and rubbed them excitedly. The excited chatter quickly quieted and stopped as the students all turned to face their teacher.

"How is everyone enjoying their lunch?" The Professor asked. "It certainly looks delicious enough." Professor McNeal smiled as a wave of enthusiastic praise for the food crashed against his ears, delighted by the smiling faces of the smiling young people.

"It's delicious!"

"I've never tasted food this good!"

"I wish my mom cooked like this…"

"Can I get seconds?"

"How about thirds?"

The Professor laughed and put a hand up for silence.

"I'm happy to hear that you all love the food as much as I do," He said, slapping his gut with a hearty chuckle. "But unfortunately our little excursion has to come to an end. You see, it has come to my attention that although our little tour of Duel Academy was a nice change of scenery from my classroom, I still have yet to teach you anything. So we're going to have our first lesson right here, in the dining hall."

Everyone looked at each other with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. They were having such a nice time, why did it have to end? And how could they even have a class now? They didn't have any of their supplies, and neither did the Professor.

"I know that wasn't what you all wanted to hear," The Professor said, noting the less than enthused expressions on his students faces. "But believe it or not, you all may actually enjoy this lesson. First, I'm going to need two volunteers. How about… you, Mr. Furifuto."

"Me?" Braden said, pointing to himself.

"Is there another Braden Furifuto that I don't know about?" The Professor asked with a smirk. Braden flushed shyly as his classmates sniggered around him. "And let's also have...you, what's your name?"

Braden turned and followed Professor McNeal's line of sight. A male Obelisk pushed himself up from his seat and gazed cooly at the Professor. He had an unruly mop of black hair with green highlights, and a pair of seafoam green eyes to match. He was handsome, save for a milky-white scar beneath his lower lip that gave threatening look to his otherwise calm expression.

"My name is Ryuu East, sir," The Obelisk said, pushing a stray lock of black hair off his tan forehead.

"Mr. East, would you be so kind as to stand on my left side here? Mr. Furifuto, you stand here on my right."

Braden gulped and pushed himself up from his seat, making his way over to Professor McNeal's side. Him and Ryuu locked eyes for a moment as they both came to a stop beside their teacher, neither of them knowing what to expect.

"Now as for the rest of you, I need half of you to go on one side of the room, and the other half to go on the opposite side of the room," The Professor said. "Quickly now, we don't have all day here." There was a loud scraping sound as the other freshmen all pushed their chairs back and divided themselves up on opposite sides of the room. Once each side was about even, Professor McNeal strode into the center of the room, beckoning for Ryuu and Braden to follow him.

"Now then, are you all ready for today's lesson?" The Professor asked. The class echoed an affirmative.

"Yes sir," Ryuu replied.

"Ready and waiting," Braden said.

"Excellent. Today's lesson is all about dueling in the spotlight. Duel's in your backyard or in a park are one thing, but dueling with thousands of fans screaming and watching your every move is an entirely different animal. Professional duelists, especially those at the top, duel with the eyes of the world on them. Tens of thousands of screaming fans, obnoxiously loud announcers, lights and smells and colors unlike anything any of you have ever experienced. It takes an extreme force of will just to keep your composure under those circumstances, let alone duel at the highest level."

"As your teacher, it's my job to prepare you for when you all will have to duel under such circumstances. I'll teach you how to block out every other distraction and to focus every cell of your body on the cards in your hand and on the field."

"It may sound easy, but tuning out every other distraction takes years of training, and a level of discipline that none of you have ever known. These skills can't be taught with notes and lectures though, they require a more hands-on approach. So your first lesson...will be a duel! The Ra Braden Furifuto vs. The Obelisk Ryuu East!"

Braden felt his heart lurch, then begin to pump into overdrive. His skin began to itch and tingle with nervous energy and he snuck a glance at his opponent. Ryuu, to his credit, looked perfectly relaxed and was sliding his deck into his duel disk. The rest of the freshmen all began to chatter excitedly, eager to spectate another duel.

' _My first duel at Duel Academy…'_ Braden thought, not sure if he should smile or vomit. ' _...oh boy…'_

Braden wiped his palms against his pants and undid the flap on the holster that hung on his waist, pulling out his deck.

' _Well guys, this is it.'_ He thought, looking at the deck in his hand for a moment before sliding it into his yellow duel disk. ' _Don't let me down.'_

Professor McNeal clapped the two duelists on their shoulders.

"I'm glad that the rest of you are excited," Professor McNeal said. "Because you all have a job to do. Those of you on the left side of the room will be Mr. Furifuto's fan-section. Those of you on the right will be Mr. East's. Your job is relatively simple: just go nuts. Yell your heads off. Clap your hands and stomp your feet. Do the wave, I really don't care. You can cheer for your duelist, or heckle the other one. Everything is allowed, as long as you don't do or say anything vulgar."

Braden could almost taste the excitement in the air as him and Ryuu took up positions on either side of the room. Already the other freshmen were beginning to yell and cheer, and he could hear Tiberius and Feli cheering loudly right behind him.

Even though his heart was hammering in his chest, Braden forced a smile onto his face and did his best to look nonplussed. He raised his duel disk to his opponent in solute.

"Good luck, Ryuu!" Braden called. Ryuu nodded, the duel disk on his arm extending into duel-mode.

"Good luck, Braden," Ryuu replied, his face a mask of calm indifference. Braden leveled his duel disk towards his opponent, and with a hum it sprang to life. Braden watched, grinning like a fool now, as the two blades that made up the monster card zones slid away from the main body of the disk and extended into its dueling configuration. The blue crystal inlaid into the main body of the duel disk glittered as the hologram projector turned on, and the life point counter reset to 4000.

Braden felt a familiar tingling in the tips of the fingers on his right hand as he drew his starting hand.

Professor McNeal strode out into the middle of the field, then looked right then left at the two students. He raised on hand and pointed at Ryuu.

"Obelisk, are you ready?" Ryuu nodded.

"Yes sir."

Professor McNeal smiled and turned towards Braden.

"Ra, are you ready?" Braden gulped and cleared his throat to keep his voice from cracking nervously.

"Yes sir."

"Very well! Both duelists are ready and the field is set. Braden Furifuto has the first move, as he is the underdog of this match."

Braden nodded, pleased. He got the feeling that he would need every advantage he could get in this duel.

"Now then," Professor McNeal bellowed. "Begin!"

Ryuu and Braden locked eyes, both of their faces set in determination.

"Let's duel!"

 **Hey guys! I know, I know, it's been waaay too long without an update. You can all put away your pitchforks. From now on I'll be putting the status of each update as I write them on my profile for you all to see as to keep you all in the know.**

 **Also quick announcement: for this story I will be using the master rules 3 subset, which for those of you that don't know is the set of rules that was used prior to the release of Link monsters and Link Summoning. It's not that I have a problem with link monsters or the new mechanic of link summoning, it's just that I had planned this story and most of the duels that take place within it without having these new rules. Not to mention that most if not all of the decks that were submitted didn't have link monsters in them. So to preserve my and your sanity, no link summoning.**

 **Again, I'm really sorry about how long it took to get an update out for this story, I promise I'll do better to get updates out and to get the word out about them from now on. I hope you all like this update, and that you all get excited to see our main character's deck for the first time in the next chapter! Thanks again to everyone who read all this, and I'll see you all on the flipside.**


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